Temper Temper

I put the transmission temperature gauge in today.  I hated cutting the transmission cooler return line since the transmission was just resealed, but cut it, I did.  Didn't lose much fluid and managed to catch most of it.  It was a messy job, though, as fluid kept trickling out and running down my arms to my elbows.  Pretty difficult to use a wrench that is sloppy wet with transmission fluid.  But, I got that part done relatively easily.  All it amounted to was cutting the steel line and putting in a tee with compression fittings.  The temperature sensor screwed into the tee.

Next I had to run the wires.  This involved removing the panel between the door and windshield, the driver's side kick panel and the driver's side step (formed vinyl insert).  Running the wire from the sensor wasn't difficult.  I had to run it along the top of the cross-member which I did not particularly care for, but I couldn't run it up and over the transmission because it would have been too close the the exhaust.  There is several wire bundles running through the step well already so it was easy to just follow them.  In fact, I had ran another wire for the tow bar brake indicator through that same area some time ago.

I was able to snake the sensor wire, a ground wire and the "hot" wire up out of sight at the end of the dash.  I spray painted the back side of the meter (wires and all) with flat black paint then glued the gauge with rubber cement to the top of the dash over near the door post.  The paint was so it didn't looked too yucky from the outside, through the windshield.  I'm not sure how well the glue will hold, though.  Time will tell.

After all that work, and I'm not sure the gauge is working right - I can't tell without taking Pumpkin for a spin and heating up the transmission.  The gage's lowest reading is 100 degrees and just idling didn't seem to bring the temperature up enough to start registering.  So, I don't know if it is working right yet.  I've got to do some more brake bleeding, but when that's done I'll take pumpkin for a shakedown run.